Azada- A Certain Puzzle-Masters' Experience
by VisualSpectrum
Summary: Titus has been trapped for…for.. How long has it been? After so many mistakes he long since lost any real hope for freedom. The vague promise of life outside Azada has kept him searching for someone to accomplish what he could not. After so many disappointments, Audette has completely given up hope that there could be more to life than pretending to be happy.
1. The Final Failure

Prologue: Hello? Can You Help Me?

**The failure was sent away, back to his home.**

_So many fools, unable to solve a single riddle..._

_I am no better, aren't I?_

_All that magic lost._

_The next one must succeed._

_If I can find another..._

_If there is indeed anyone who can help me..._

As the final piece to puzzle slid into place and the picture was formed, the young woman carefully leaned back in the broken chair to gleefully admire her accomplishment before she hid it once again under her makeup chest. She began to choke herself with the powder puff, spreading the dust into her hair in a feverish attempt to make her face presentable before anyone saw fit to barge in.

_This is the last one._

_It must be this one..._

_Was that her name?_

_Never mind her name, what I need to know is if she can help..._

Her face once again returned to its natural state and all pretense thrown to the wind, she began the puzzle again by the light of a single candle. Deft hands sliding each piece in a manner that only makes sense to one person, the puzzle formed more quickly this time.

_She..._

_She..._

_I must bring her to my study at once..._

**_A cross between a headache and muscle cramp_**

She opened her eyes to an aching back and a dusty hallway. Panicked. An effect from not taking her medicine? This couldn't be a dream. She never fell asleep when solving puzzles, and she never realized she was dreaming when it happened. Someone had kidnapped her...somehow... and taken her to this place.

And left her in a hallway.

How dare they?

A torn sheet of paper lay on the floor by her arm, and she picked it up to see that it was blank. But only temporarily so, because words began to appear on it before she dropped it like a venomous snake.

Hello? Can you help me?

_Because you may be my last chance for freedom._


	2. The Earliest Enigma

The young women, whose name happened to be Audette, was near tears. twitching her eyes to rid her sight of darkness, she spied a hallway with wood panels on the side, and walls that looked very old and left alone for years. Steeling herself, she lowered herself to the floor and continued reading the paper, gingerly picking it up. Words appeared on the paper again, more insistently, while the paper sparkled.

_Titus was determined to convince his new guest that he was a gentleman._

_"__It's been so long... since anyone has dropped in. I hope your arrival on the floor wasn't too painful! Sorry about that. I just... Well, I knew you could help me so I used the few magical powers I have to bring you here."_

Tears now flowing, her throat tighter than if someone had been right there chocker her themselves, she went on reading, registering only that she was dealing with someone with magical powers, and that they might be very dangerous. Why the pause after "been so long?"? What does this person want with me?

_Titus flowed more words to the shaking paper in his new captives hands. _

_"__I could tell that you have the excellent mind of a puzzler - exactly the type of person I need right now. Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Titus. Please some inside my study. I will tell you more along the way. There's so much to solve..."_

So much to solve? Puzzler? Was he inside her mind? For how long had this been going on? What hellish creature was awaiting her in the study, through the sliding doors ahead of her.

_"__I'm so glad you're here! Welcome!"_

Audette did not feel welcome. She started ahead to the study then stopped. Turned around. There had to be a way out. She spotted a door much further down. Dropping the paper she ran toward it. The old door did not budge no matter how she pulled and pushed. She spun around quickly as the stained glass sliders pulled back. With only gasping sounds escaping her lips, she walked toward the mysterious beings study. Steeling herself to fight, she crossed the threshold, keeping her eyes pealed for her host, and made her way to the fireplace at the end, where a lone and filled desk stood apart from the others. She looked above the fireplace where an incredibly faded portrait of an old bearded man stared down at her, arms crossed. With a cry, she jumped backwards as a face, the same face from the painting appeared in the fire place, setting the logs ablaze. The face then jumped to the desk and faded away. Audette carefully lifted herself away from a nearby table and forced herself to approach the lone desk. Atop it there was a book, with pages torn from it neatly stacked on top of each other. All the pages only had a few words and a question mark upon them. Next to it, a sealed puzzle box stood, with only one drawer able to be opened. It had spaces the number of the torn pages. Unable to stop herself, she took up the first page and placed it in the opened book. It immediately burst into a light with no heat, and sealed itself to the book once again. A photograph of an unfamiliar place, with a desk unlike the one before her in an office formed. Gripping the sides of the book, Audette moved her face close. With a cry, she was pulled into the book, and landed, seemingly within the scene depicted in the photograph!


End file.
